Midweek Bonus Picks - Dolly Parton, Mahempe Playlist, Giovanni Kiyingi's Tiny Desk Concert

We feature a Pick of the Week every Saturday. Now we've added Midweek Bonus Picks, which are quick snippets of interesting stuff that's worth a look or listen.

Dolly Parton

I was not aware that Dolly Parton collaborated with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. But it's true. Their version of "Peace Train," from 1996, appeared on Dolly's album Treasures. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," from 1997, appeared on Ladysmith Black Mambazo's album, Heavenly and a video was made for it.

"Yes, it's true: Zimbabweans love Dolly Parton" is apparently a fact and also the title of a scholarly article. Here's a snip:

Many Zimbabweans, old and young, rich and poor, urban and rural, love country western music. Though this might at first seem to be extraordinary, it is rather a commonplace experience in people's everyday lives. In fact, Dolly Parton, Jim Reeves, and Don Williams are amongst the most commonly sought-after records in the rural areas of Zimbabwe and have been for some time.(1) As an anthropologist I felt compelled to consider this popularity of American country music in Zimbabwe as this phenomenon has as of yet not received any attention in the extensive literature on Zimbabwe. During fieldwork, I found a ubiquitous and striking knowledge of country artists and their songs, for example of "Wild Flowers Don't Care Where They Grow" by Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors," Sissy Chapman's "Frontier Justice," and Slim Whitman's "Rosemary," to name a few of the more notable songs that I came to know whilst in Zimbabwe. While many Americans, particularly African-Americans in Northern rather than Southern cities, find this surprising, as they commonly associate country music in America with stereotypes of conservative, white Southern culture, country music, and Dolly Parton, in particular, are deeply inculcated in the multiplex Zimbabwean imagination.

Mahempe Playlist

I got the itch to make another YouTube playlist and so I scratched it. I'm still not sure of all the facts regarding the Botswanan group, Mahempe, but music, dancing and foolishness covers it pretty well. Here's a playlist of their music and my description:

They sing and they dance and they rip up their pants. It's a playlist of some of our favorite songs by Mahempe & Motabaseo, from Botswana. Many of which have been featured at the Music of Africa web site. A few Mahempe "tributes" might have made their way into the list.

Giovanni Kiyingi's Tiny Desk Concert

I've written about a few Ugandan artists so far that are worth a listen. Bobi Wine, Eddy Kenzo, and the late, great Geoffrey Oryema. Add Giovanni Kiyingi to that list. He moved to Arizona a few years back and if you haven't heard his music yet, give it a try. You could start with this Tiny Desk concert, from 2023.